Switch machine for railroads



Nov. 23, 1937. 5 w|GHT 2,100,296

SWITCH MACHINE FOR RAILROADS Filed Jan. 19, 1935 FIG-.1.

Fl&. 2.

Patented Nov. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES Sedgwick N. Wight, Rochester, N. K, assignor to General Railway Signal Company, Rochester, N. Y.

Application January 19, 1935, Serial No. 2,563

9 Claims.

This invention relates to power operated switch machines used on railroads, and more particularlyrto a switch machine arranged to be operated by hand as well as by power.

In many applications of power operated switch machines, it is desirable to provide for hand operation of the switch points for switching movements, and also in case of power failure or derangement of the power mechanism. Such a switch machine organization, provided with What is commonly known as a dual control selector, is disclosed for example in the patent to W. K. Howe, No. 1,852,573, April 5, 1932.

Since the switch machine sometimes fails to lock, due to displacement of the track rails, in-

adequate adjustment of the parts, or the like, it is expedient to employ a hand throw device, such as disclosed in said Howe patent, which is capable of shifting the switch point and holding them, but which does not operate the locking plunger to lock the switch.

In the ordinary application of power operated switch machines, the signals governing trafiic over the switch are usually controlled so that these signals cannot clear unless the switch points are fully shifted and also locked, this being usually accomplished by controlling the signal control circuits by contacts operated by the looking plunger of the switch machine so as to be closed only when this locking plunger is in its locking position. On account of such control of the signals, a switch machine equipped with a dual control selector as disclosed in said Howe patent, in which a hand-throw device does not operate the locking plunger, cannot be operated by hand to a locked condition in which the signals may clear. This is advantageous when the switch is being operated by hand for switching movements, since the signals cannot clear, and the train making the switch movements is automatically protected by the signals against approaching trains.

In certain applications of power switch machines, however, more particularly at outlying switches at the ends of the sidings and in similar applications, it may be necessary to operate the switch by hand on account of power failure; and in such cases of power failure, with the switch machine otherwise in condition to be fully locked, it is desirable that the hand throw device be capable of operating the locking plunger and looking switch in the regular way, so that the signals may clear.

With these considerations in mind, it is proposed in accordance with this invention, generally speaking, to provide a switch machine in which the operation of the selector lever renders the hand throw device effective to move and to hold the switch points without operating the locking plunger, and in which a different manipulation, such as the return of the selector to its power position, will serve to operate the locking plunger to lock the switch, if it is possible to do so, thereby allowing the switch points to be operated for switching movements without clearing of the sigl0 nals in one case, and yet permitting the switch machine to be operated by hand and left in the locked condition to permit the signals to clear, in othercas-es of power failure and the like.

Other characteristic features and advantages of the invention will be in part apparent and in part explained as the description progresses.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 illustrates in a simplified and diagrammatic manner one specific embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 2 shows a fragmentary horizontal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The invention is illustrated in the form adapted for a particular type of switch machine, such as disclosed in the patent to W. K. Howe, No. 1,466,903, September 4, 1923; but it is apparent and should be understood that the same principles and scheme of operation may be applied to other structural organizations of switch machines.

The type of power operated switch machine contemplate comprises a throw rod TR connected to the switch points in the usual way, and provided with a jaw to be engaged by a roller I on a pin 2 secured to a crank 3. A locking plunger LP has fixed. thereto a dog 4 to engage notches in a lock rod LR connected to the switch points in the usual way, so that when this locking plunger LP is in the position shown, and the dog 4 is in a notch in the lock rod LR, the switch points are positively locked. I'he locking plunger LP is re- 40 ciprocated to its locked and unlocked position by a roller 5 on the same pin 2 engaging the surfaces of a cam slot 6 in said locking plunger LP.

The crank 3, which operates the throw rod TR and locking plunger LP, is fixed to the lower end of a main shaft 1 loose in the main gear 8 of the switch machine; and this gear is connected by a suitable reduction gearing and friction clutch l9 to the motor M, as shown more in detail in said Howe patent No. 1,466,903.

A movable clutch member I l on a squared portion of the shaft 1, or connected thereto with a key, turns with said shaft, but is movable endwise thereon. The lower end of this movable clutch l I is formed with recesses to receive projections l2 on the hub of the main gear 8, so that when the clutch member H is in its lower position as shown, the shaft 1 carrying the crank 3 is connected to the main gear 8 for the normal power operation of this switch machine. This movable clutch member II is formed with a groove to receive rollers or pins on the end of an operating lever l3 pivoted at a fixed point at its other end. As shown, this operating lever may be moved up and down by a selector lever SL through a shaft l4 and crank I5, said crank having a pin or roller engaging a slot in said operating lever.

Loose on the main shaft I near its upper end, is an operating sleeve l6 connected by beveled gears I! to a hand throw lever HT.

The clutch member I l is formed with a projection or tooth l I having beveled or inclined faces as shown, and the sleeve I6 is formed with a projection I E having corresponding beveled or inclined faces. For the purpose of explaining how these projections on said clutch H and sleeve it are proportioned and shaped, it will be assumed that the main shaft 1 and crank 3 rotate 180 degrees during the movement of the throw rod TR from one extreme position to the other, and that rotational movement of said crank of 30 degrees causes the lower roller 5 to engage the cam slot 6 in the locking plunger LP and move said plunger to its locking position. Assuming such proportioning of parts, which of course is subject to variation in practice, the main gear 8 will be driven by the motor M in the normal power operation of the switch machine in moving the switch points from one locked position to the other locked position, first through an angle of 30 degrees to move the locking plunger LP to the unlocked position, then through an angle of 180 degrees to shift the throw rod, and finally through an angle of 30 degrees to move the locking plunger to the locking position, representing a total angular movement of 240 degrees for the main gear. The gears i1 connecting the hand-throw lever HT to the sleeve it are proportioned such that said sleeve is moved through a total angular movement of 240 degrees when said lever HT is moved from one extreme position to the other, it being contemplated that the lever HT will be provided with stops and catches (not shown) in its two extreme positions in the usual way.

The upper edges of the projection ll on the clutch H, and likewise the lower edges of the projection le on the sleeve it are both spaced approximately 180 degrees apart, with such clearance as will permit these projections to pass each other upon. end-wise movement of the clutch l i, when said sleeve and said clutch have the necessary predetermined relative position. The faces of the projections I l and I6 are beveled or inclined at such an angle that, when the clutch l i is in its upper position in full engagement with the sleeve Hi, there is a space or lost motion. coacting faces of these two members of 30 degrees on each side.

When the selector lever SL is in the power position as shown, the clutch H connects the shaft 1 to the main gear 8; and when the motor M is energized, this main gear is rotated in one direction or the other to move the locking plunger LP first in the unlocked position, and then move the throw rod TR to shift the switch points to the other position, and finally restore the locking plunger to its locked position, in a manner ex plained more in detail in the Howe patent No. 1,466,903.

When the selector lever SL is in this power position, contacts 20, illustrated diagrammatically, are closed; and if the locking plunger LP is in its locked position, other contacts 2|, also illustrated diagrammatically, are closed; and it is contemplated that the usual circuits (not shown) for permitting clearing of the signals governing traific over the switch will include these contacts in series, or be otherwise controlled thereby, in such a way that, if the selector or lever SL is in the power position and the switch is locked, these signals may clear, while if the switch is unlocked, or if the selector lever SL is not in the power position, the signals cannot clear, on account of these contacts being opened. The contacts 2|, shown diagrammatically as closed when the locking plunger is in the locking position, will in practice be contacts of the point detector associated with the switch machine and have operating characteristics such as disclosed, for example, in the patent to C. S. Bushnell No. 1,517,236, November 25, 1924. 7

When a train crew desires to operate the switch by hand for switching movements, the selector lever SL is thrown from the power position shown to the other extreme position, raising the operating lever 13 to lift the clutch ll out of engagement with the main gear 8 and into position to be engaged by the clutch sleeve it operated by the hand throw lever HT. Assuming that when the selector lever SL is thus thrown, the switch is over and locked in the normal position, and the hand-throw lever HT is also in the normal position, then the clutch H and sleeve it are in the relative position to permit the clutch to be raised into engagement with the sleeve. If the hand-throw lever HT, however, should have been left in the reverse position, while the switch machine is locked in the normal position, then the hand-throw lever HT must be thrown over to the normal position before the selector lever 'SL can be moved to engage the clutch H with the sleeve l6; and similarly, if the main shaft 1 is in some intermediate position at the time the'selector lever SL is operated, then lever HT will have to be moved to bring the clutch l! and sleeve [6 into such alignment that they may be engaged. In this connection, it should be understood that a spring arrangement, such as disclosed in Howe patent No. 1,852,573 above mentioned, may be provided for the clutch ll to obviate the necessity for the joint manipulation of the selector lever SL and hand-throw lever HT to engage the clutch. With such a spring arrangement, the

selector lever SL is fully thrown and the spring compressed if necessary, and the hand-throw lever is then moved until it is in position where the spring may cause engagement of the clutch.

The hand-throw lever HT having been clutched to the main shaft 1 in this way, the switch points may be moved back and forth. by the hand-throw, lever HT to either position as desired. During such manual operation of the switch, the main shaft 1 and crank 3 are rotated 180 degrees to shift the switch points from one position to the other; but on account of the lost motion between the clutch H and sleeve IS, the main shaft 1 is not rotated far enough by the lever HT to actuate the locking plunger LP. For example, assuming that the switch machine is locked in the normal position at the time the lever HT is coupled to the main shaft 1, the

first 30 degree movement of the sleeve 16 takes up the lost motion at one side between the clutch I l and the sleeve Hi, the next 30 degree movement of the sleeve It drives the crank 3 through the 30 degrees of movement required to shift the locking plunger LP to the unlocked position, and the remaining degrees of movement 0f the sleeve I 6 drives the throw-rod TR to the other reverse position without moving the locking plunger LP. I

'After the switch points have been operated to the reverse position by the lever HT in this way, if this lever is then operated to return the switch points to the normal position, the first 60 degrees of movement of the lever HT is required to take up the lost motion between the co-operating faces of the clutch H and sleeve l6, these faces having been moved into contact at one side during the previous operation of the switch points to the normal position by the lever HT; and following this 60 degree movement of the sleeve IE to take up the lost motion, the remaining 180 degrees of movement of the sleeve l6 serves to move the throw rod TR back to its former normal position without operating the locking plunger LP.

Thus, when the selector lever SL is in the hand-throw position, opposite to that shown, the hand-throw lever HT can be used to move the switch points back and forth after initial unlocking without operating the locking plunger LP. Under these conditions; the signals governing traffic over the switch are held at stop, because the selector lever SL is in the hand-throw position and the contacts 20 are opened, and also because the switch is not locked and the contacts 2| are open. The manual manipulation of the switch machine under these conditions is advantageously employed for switching movements, and also when occasion requires for changing the switch and moving trains over and under hand. signals, in those cases where the switch cannot be properly locked in the regular way by the regular power operation.

Considering now the case where there is a failure of power, or some other condition prevails, where it is necessary to operate the switch by hand, but desirable to leave the switch in the fully operated and locked position so that the signals may clear for subsequent trains, this is accomplished by moving the selector SL to the hand-throw position, and operating the handthrow lever HT until the switch points have been placed in the desired position. After the switch has been thus operated by hand for the train movement desired, it may be placed by hand in either position for the next train, and the selector lever SL is returned to the power position shown. When the switch points have been shifted by the hand-throw lever HT to the desired position, the engaging faces of the clutch II and sleeve l6 are in contact, and said sleeve is held in this position by the hand-throw lever HT, which is secured by a catch in the usual way. When the selector lever SL is restored to the power position, the downward movement of the clutch H is accomplished by a rotational movement caused by the beveled or inclined face on this clutch engaging with the corresponding clutch face of the sleeve is. Thus, restoration of the selector SL to the power position causes additional 30 movement of the operating crank 3 in the same direction it was moved by the lever HT, and this causes locking plunger LP to lock the switch machine.

Under these conditions, the signals may clear,

the contacts 20 being closed by the selector lever in its power position, and the contacts 2| being closed with the locking plunger LP in its locked position.

From the foregoing it can be seen that this invention provides for the manual operation of a power operated switch in such a way that the switch points can be moved and held by hand operation without operating the locking plunger, and without permitting the signals to clear, and the switch points may be positioned and also locked by hand, and the signals allowed to clear. Thus, the switch may be manipulated by hand at one time for switching operations and signal protection, and at other times, in the event of power failure or the like, the switch maybe operated by hand and left locked in the desired position and the signals permitted to clear for subsequent train movements.

Various adaptations, modifications, and additions may be made in the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated and described, without departing from the principles and functions of the invention; and it should be understood that the particular construction and arrangement of parts herein disclosed is merely illustrative of the nature of the invention.

What I claim is:-

1. In a power operated switch machine having a throw rod and a locking plunger which are operated in succession by the rotation of a main shaft to different extents, manually operable means for rotating said shaft to one extent, another manually operable means for rotating said shaft to a different extent, for operating either the throw rod alone or both the throw rod and locking plunger.

2. In a power operated switch machine of the type described, including a throw rod and a locking plunger operated by rotation of a main shaft, said throw rod being moved from one extreme position to the other by rotation of said shaft through one extent, said locking plunger being operated by additional movement of said shaft, manually operable means for operating said shaft through said extent of movement, and other manually operable means for giving the additional movement to said shaft to operate the locking plunger.

3. In a power operated switch machine of the type described, including a throw rod and looking plunger operated by rotation of a main shaft to different extents, a motor, a hand-throw lever, manually operable selector means for alternatively connecting said shaft to said motor or to said hand-throw lever, said selector acting, when changed to connect the shaft to the motor after said shaft has been coupled to and moved by said hand-throw lever, to give said shaft additional movement to operate the locking plunger.

4. In a power operated switch machine of the type described comprising a throw rod and looking plunger operated by a main shaft, a handthrow lever, clutch members for establishing an operative connection between said lever and said shaft only in a predetermined relative position thereof, said shaft and. said lever having a relative lost motion for each direction after said lever and said shaft have been placed in said predetermined relative position and said clutch members have been engaged, and a manually operable selector lever for operating said clutch members.

5. In a switch machine of the type described, a throw rod, a locking plunger, a main shaft, a

hand-throw lever, clutch members for operatively connecting said shaft and lever, said clutch' members being engageable only in predetermined relative positions of said shaft and lever and when engaged having lost motion for each direction of movement, said clutch members having inclined co-operating faces causing said shaft and lever to assume the same relative positions upon disengagement of said clutch members, an electric motor, and manually operable selector means for alternately engaging said clutch members or disengaging said clutch members and operatively connecting said motor with said shaft.

6. In a power operated switch machine of the type described, a main operating shaft, a handthrow lever, clutch members for operatively conmeeting said shaft and said lever, said clutch members having inclined engaging faces causing relative movement of said shaft and lever upon disengagement of said clutch members when said faces are in contact, and a selector lever for engaging and disengaging said clutch members.

'7. In a power operated switch machine of the type described comprising a lock rod and locking plunger operated by different extents of rotation of a main shaft, a motor, a hand-throw lever, manually operable selector means for alternately connecting said shaft operatively to said motor or to said lever, said selector means including co-operating clutch members having inclined engaging faces, said clutch members being engageable only in a predetermined relative position of said shaft and lever, and when engaged having lost motion in each direction corresponding to the additional angular movement of said shaft required to operate the locking plunger.

8. In a power operated switch machine of the type described, including a throw rod and a looking plunger operated by rotation of a main shaft, said throw rod being moved from one extreme position to the other by rotation of said shaft type described, including a throw rod and a locking plunger operated by rotation of a main shaft, said throw rod being moved from one extreme position to the other by rotation of said shaft through one extent, said locking plunger being operated by additional movement of said shaft, manually operable means for operating said shaft through said extent of movement and through the additional movement only upon its first complete operation, to thereby operate the locking plunger to unlocking position, and other manually operable means for alternatively coupling the shaft to the power operable means or to the manually operable means giving the addi tional movement to said shaft to operate the locking plunger.

, SEDGWICK N. WIGHT. 

